Which (thank you) reminds me of someting.... (Note I do not appear on either show but on the first they read an e-mail or two of mine and on the 2nd... Well, I'm mentioned at the end of the last Smoke & Solder segment... (Next to last episode, or last week's whichever method you use).. nice line voltage monitor they shipped me. )

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Nothing adds excitement like something that is none of your businessMy Home is where I park it.

Hi John, I am quite familiar with Ham Nation and my father (now SK) knew Gordon West in the early 70s when I was a kid. I seen your QRZ page mine is here http://www.qrz.com/db/KB6MAT I also spend some time on HF as well.

WE4i here. Just getting an ICOM 7100 set up on HF on a sailing catamaran. It's quite easy to use it on 2 meters (including star) with the VHF antennas already aboard but there is some challenge to getting a decent installation on HF. The sailboat is now in the Fla Keys for the winter season. The RV was just bought down here and we will move it to storage this weekend up in central Fla where we wil use it during the summer. I am going to put the IC7100 in the RV for summertime trips and it will be used primarily on VHF and UHF. First planned trip is to Maine this summer although we will stop in the Everglades this weekend as we travel north in the RV. The challenge there is to get coax up to the roof although I've seen some posts about running wire for new solar panels which I also want to install.

By moving the radio it will be in air conditioning in the summer and in the ventilated sailboat in the winter which should help make it last for many more years

WA1RI, since 1964, but not active right now. Would like to get a small mobile rig at some point, but right now, other priorities. Was very active back in RI with club and ARRL position. Nowadays though, not as much.

I did activate the internet thing, spoke with some friends on the RI repeater I used to be active on.

WB0VKI and WBOWKD here but both inactive since our heydays from 1975 to mid 1990s when move to apartment (and computer) pretty much silenced us. Loved HFing from North Dakota as demand for us was high and QSL cards went out in batches every day. Believe it or not I had a QSL card returned about a month ago. I had sent it in 1975 and the recipient's survivors had looked up my address and returned it. Last summer I bought a new 2 meter rig (had another band I can't remember) and tried to set it up for repeater use and local ragchewing. Tried it a few weeks and found things to be very slow and very boring so I sold it. Wouldn't mind trying HF again but age is interferring with such things as climbing towers etc. We both loved it and keep the licenses current as the wife swears that after 4 tries to get the darned thing she will never let it expire before she does.

Bill & Joan,You might consider HF digital. It does not take loads of power, and a magnetic loop antenna is surprisingly effective from an apartment or condo. The antenna can be disassembled and put away when not in use.

Bill & Joan,You might consider HF digital. It does not take loads of power, and a magnetic loop antenna is surprisingly effective from an apartment or condo. The antenna can be disassembled and put away when not in use.

BillW4WWB

Thanks Bill. We are now back in a decent stick built house so an outdoor antenna is not out of the question. I will look into the HF digital. I have an Advanced class license but I understand those are no longer given out. I guess I am grandfathered. Thanks again.

Wow. I'm glad we got this thread more active. I have an old Kenwood 2550 (IIRC) I'd like to put in my motorhome. I'm the 2nd owner of the MH. The original owner installed 2 antennas and the coaxes and PL259s are there. I'm just not sure which one is CB or 2m. I have my general license. BTW, I'm going to check with a friend at church who is really "deep" into ham, to help me sort this out.

I'm K9BEG, general class. We bought our first motorhome Friday and we plan to be fulltime RVers. Have been dreaming about this for years and planning for months, and looking for weeks. I also want to get an HF radio. Right now all I have is a duel band VHF/UHF.

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Taking the road less traveled usually means a few bumps along the way, but a lot more freedom and happiness.

I'm one of those No Code Extras. My brain just isn't wired for CW, and it kept me away from the hobby for many years. I've always been jealous of you Know Code folks.

IMO, it was a big mistake to drop the code requirement for the Extra Class. Dropping that requirement for the other classes are fine, IMO. Now, nobody bothers to learn CW and everybody on CW is around my age. Just no incentive to learn.

But those who get good at CW get hooked on it every time. Any many of such operators won't even own a mic.

I ONLY work CW on HF. But I do have VHF and UHF FM stuff that I very rarely use.

I have to admit it's now harder to learn CW. Not many CW operators want to QRS that much and there are NO others (from what I can hear) that are on the air at 5WPM.

Back in the 1960's the CW bands had many novices, learning mainly by working each other. These days, you just won't find anybody at 5WPM. I have not heard such for countless years.

IMO, it was a big mistake to drop the code requirement for the Extra Class. Dropping that requirement for the other classes are fine, IMO. Now, nobody bothers to learn CW and everybody on CW is around my age. Just no incentive to learn.

But those who get good at CW get hooked on it every time. Any many of such operators won't even own a mic.

I ONLY work CW on HF. But I do have VHF and UHF FM stuff that I very rarely use.

I have to admit it's now harder to learn CW. Not many CW operators want to QRS that much and there are NO others (from what I can hear) that are on the air at 5WPM.

Back in the 1960's the CW bands had many novices, learning mainly by working each other. These days, you just won't find anybody at 5WPM. I have not heard such for countless years.

73, -Don- AA6GA Benson, AZ

Good points Don. I learned to like CW but it took a bit of practice. My wife also took up the hobby and worked hard to earn her General license. I finally got my Advanced (which I understand no longer exists) and we have kept them current despite no longer having equipment. I picked up a 2 meter about 2 years ago and it was so dead that I finally just sold it. Computers have killed the hobby but it still serves a great need on storms and such.